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The Royal Raymond Fusiliers
The Royal Raymond Fusiliers Regiment (11/15th Fusiliers) is a line infantry regiment in the Occitanian Army. It was formed in 1997 through the amalgamation of the 11th Fusiliers of the Line and the Royal 15th Regiment of the Line, after the 1994 coup d'état and following civil war. The regiment's roots may be traced back to the late 17th century. History The Royal Raymond Fusiliers' ancestral roots began in 1690, when the Viscount Guillame d'Allais raised a regiment of foot in light of recent tensions with the French. The regiment was called the Régiment d'Infanterie Royal Marchaux, after the Viscount's home county of Marchaux (now known as Raymond.) The Régiment d'Infanterie Royal Marchaux would see combat in the following decade, during the War of Spanish Succession. It was during this conflict that the other constituent half of the Royal Raymond Fusiliers would be raised - the Régiment de Cavalerie Pelletier. In 1776, as part of King August's sweeping modernizations to the Occitanian Army, the cavalry was reduced and subsequently, the Régiment de Cavalerie Pelletier was transformed into a line infantry regiment with the designation Régiment des Fusiliers Pelletier. Both regiments would take part in the ill fated defense against Napoleon's forces in 1802 and 1803. In 1814, the Régiment des Fusiliers Pelletier was redesignated as the 11th Fusiliers of the Line and the Régiment d'Infanterie Royal Marchaux the 15th Regiment of the Line. These regimental names would remain unchanged until the turn of the next millennium. During the far-right coup d'état attempt of 1994 and the following civil war, both the 11th Fusiliers and the Royal 15th Regiment fought on the side of the Royalists. The Royal 15th suffered 11 killed and 29 wounded at the famous Battle of Pont Avaler in 1995. After the civil war ended in 1996, it was announced that the entire Occitanian Army would be re-structured. The 11th Fusiliers and the Royal 15th Regiment were to be amalgamated into a whole new regiment the following year. Thus, in 1997, the two regiments were combined to form the Royal Raymond Fusiliers Regiment with a strength of two battalions (1,205 personnel.) The regiment was reduced to a single battalion in 2002, as part of military reductions following the end of the Cold War. Today, the regiment consists of 572 men and women. In 2005, the Occitanian Army received new, redesigned dress uniforms that bore resemblance to those of the late Victorian period. Along with most line infantry regiments, the Royal Raymond Fusiliers received the new uniform along with red facings (plastron and shoulder boards/epaulettes) and a spiked helmet. The plastron and shoulder boards are lined with white piping designating the regiment's royal status. Lineage * 1690 - Régiment d'Infanterie Royal Marchaux raised. * 1704 - Régiment de Cavalerie Pelletier raised during the War of Spanish Succession. * 1776 - Régiment de Cavalerie Pelletier reroled and redesignated as Régiment des Fusiliers Pelletier. * 1814 - Régiment des Fusiliers Pelletier & Régiment d'Infanterie Royal Marchaux redesignated 11th Fusiliers of the Line & 15th Regiment of the Line respectively. * 1940 - 11th Fusiliers of the Line decimated nearly completely fighting a Waffen SS division at Grenoble. Both regiments were disbanded after Occitania surrenders to Nazi Germany. * 1947 - 11th Fusiliers and 15th Regiment of the Line re-raised following WW2. * 1991 - 15th Regiment of the Line gains "Royal" status and is redesignated Royal 15th Regiment of the Line. * 1997 - 11th Fusiliers and Royal 15th amalgamated to form The Royal Raymond Fusiliers Regiment (11/15th Fusiliers) as part of the post-civil war reorganization of the Occitanian Army. * 2002 - Regiment reduced to a single battalion after the Cold War